WAIPAHU, Hawai`i--The Hawai`i Hilo women's soccer team had almost two weeks to stew over two near misses when they opened the season the second weekend of September with a 1-1 tie (Eckerd) and a 1-0 loss (UC San Diego).

But the memory was still fresh enough to help spur them to a much more satisfying 1-0 non-conference victory over Hawai`i Pacific on Thursday afternoon at the Waipio Soccer Complex. With the win, the Vulcans improved to 1-1-1 on the year, while the Sharks dropped to 1-3-1. The match won't count in the league standings, as the two rivals will play again on October 20 on the Big Island in a Pacific West Conference counter.

Senior Tiera Arakawa scored the only goal of the match in the 64th minute and UHH goalkeeper Bailey Cahill's defense kept the Sharks out of the net on a fiery hot day that showed the heat index at 108. 

The first half was evenly played, with both teams recording only six shots--and only two on goal for HPU, one for UH Hilo.

But the pace picked up in the second half. Both teams had shots on goal in the first 15 minutes, before Arakawa and the Vulcans broke through. Arakawa took a pass from Bryana-Marie Ebbers at the top of the box and fired a shot into the left corner of the net past Shark keeper Lauren Spencer. It was Arakawa's ninth goal of her four-year Vulcan career and first of the 2018 season. 

Cahill and the defense took it from there. Cahill finished with three saves and the first shutout of her Vulcan career. UH Hilo ended up ahead in the stat column as well with 14 shots (four on goal) compared to Hawai`i Pacific's ten shots (three on goal). Seven different players took shots for head coach Gene Okamura's team.

"It feels better to get into the win column before we start conference play," Okamura said. "Now it starts for real on Saturday."

The Vulcans will remain on Oahu to open Pacific West Conference play on Saturday at Chaminade. Start time will be 12:30 p.m.